No industry is left untouched by the marvels of technology today. From artificial intelligence to bitcoin, advanced technology unveils the future of every company. As charming and disrupting as it seems, most employees are threatened by the fate that awaits them. Automation is replacing jobs at an alarming rate. Regardless, some employees still see the benefit in new technologies being introduced and are thrilled to have the training with the latest tech.
We ran a poll on Pulse asking CIOs, CTOs, and other decision making executives on the platform whether they think that new technologies will bring better ROI than new employees and shockingly, 55% of the members who participated in the poll replied in affirmative.
When asked, Michael Robinson, CIO at ASM Research said, “It’s hard to answer this question without asking additional questions. What are you really missing right now that would help you generate the fastest or most sustainable ROI? What technologies would truly provide a larger ROI than the right people? Beyond the sales talk and the buzz, do you really know what this product will cost you in the long run? Will the culture you have, accept the new technologies and adopt them quickly to produce the desired results? Do you have the right people in place to find the right people you need? So many questions.”
Some times, companies embrace a tool or technology because it’s the latest in the market. But if it is too complex for your employees to master or your customers to decipher, what good will it bring you? Nobody wants to break their head with a chatbot to book a ticket. But, if that can be done in a few taps, then that technology is a game-changer. Clifton Persaud, Assistant Director of IT Audits at U.S. House of Representatives believes that “both technology and people are needed, based on the business objectives. Getting technology and not knowing how to use it to help achieve the organization’s strategic goals and business objectives will not benefit the organization.”
The new technology should be embracing of the team as well as the clientele. It should be so seamlessly integrated that no one gets affected, in fact, it only makes the employees more efficient and eliminates the scope of error.
Technology changes at the speed of light in today’s time. You invent something today and tomorrow there’s a better, more compact product out in the market that beats yours in more than 3 ways. But if your people are trained well, there is no way a little push can’t get your numbers back up in the market and Noreen Rucinski, CIO at Schneider Rucinski Consulting agrees, “I would want to invest in the people. The last 5 years suggest that investing in tech has shown a better ROI, but a melding of both is the right answer as long as the company culture is designed to embrace the tech for an optimal outcome.”
Lee Vorthman, Director of Information Security at Pearson, says it best, “Invest in your people. They will figure out the tech.”
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